The Royal Duchy Hotel is not just a hotel with one of the most amazing sea views in town but a place where, from the moment you walk through the front door, you are made to feel special.

Whether they work behind the reception desk or as waiters in the restaurant or clean your room, everyone at this seafront Falmouth hotel that dates back to the late 1890s will make you feel welcome.

James the porter, in full livery is charming, friendly and funny and is the first face you will no doubt see when you drop your bags in the hall, wearied by the journey or simply eager to relax and explore this wonderful hotel.

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Away from the bustle and hubbub of the touristy shopping waterfront which Falmouth has become synonymous with, the Royal Duchy faces the ocean, like a spyhouse for sea lovers and ship spotters.

One of the rooms at the Royal Duchy Hotel in Falmouth and its most amazing view of the sea

It may be located on Cliff Road and does not overlook the Fal Estuary, but it has one of those commanding views of Falmouth Bay in its entirety that will be the envy of many.

Pendennis Point and the iconic Pendennis Castle tower over the bay to the left of the hotel while further on down the road is Falmouth's famous Gyllyngvase beach.

If you love staring longingly as though in some dream-like state out to sea, chasing waves and the coming storm across the horizon, then you are in for a treat for the hotel's elegantly decorated and comfortable rooms will prove the perfect watch towers to delight in such simple pleasure.

Sitting on the sea facing terrace outside the Royal Duchy Hotel is a delight, especially on gorgeous sunny days (Image: Kevin Nicholson)

The Royal Duchy Hotel is a classic hotel with great charm and delightful elegance. Don't expect glass and steel decor and modern art creations or bling bling extravaganza. If that's what you are after, the Duchy is not for. Instead expect simple, discreet charm.

But classic elegance does not mean old fashioned. No, the Duchy has all the mod cons the traveller will expect, from colour TV and cable to free wi-fi (of course, how could we without nowadays), min bars and ensuite bathrooms in every room, as well as the expected yet often overlooked welcoming flowers, box of chocolates, teas and coffee and mineral water. And of course, and I nearly forgot to mention it, a pair of high quality binoculars to watch out for wildlife, check on the container ships and tankers crossing the horizon or simply to spy of life below.

The Royal Duchy Hotel is laid out on two floors with large windowed bedrooms facing the ever-changing sea. There is a large salon that acts as a TV room where one can nervously enjoy Premier League football or Six Nations rugby, and further down the hall is the bar and adjoining lounge, which both look out onto the lawn and waterfront.

After that comes the Pendennis Restaurant where some of the best food I have had is served. It's simply beautiful. Refined without being unrecognisable. It's top class French-influenced classic cuisine. Tasty and filling without ever being too much or not enough.

The Pendennis restaurant at the Royal Duchy Hotel in Falmouth (Image: Kevin Nicholson)

Again the maître d’hôtel and front-of-house waiters and waitresses are all very friendly and welcoming. They are attentive and knowledgeable and, as with everyone working for the hotel, will endeavour to make you feel special and ensure you have the best possible stay.

To give you a taste of what the changing dinner menus have to offer, I selected a locally-caught mackerel with salade nicoise and herb oil for starter while my wife enjoyed some goats cheese with celeriac, purple broccoli and baby leeks. And that was just the starter on the two nights we stayed at the hotel.

Beautiful food and drinks at the Royal Duchy Hotel in Falmouth (Image: Olivier Vergnault)

Westcountry beef rump with confit blade and broad bean puree were a pure delight as a main while the dark chocolate and white chocolate layers with cherry puree and cherry sorbet was to die for.

I hear that the apple and vanilla mousse, apple and black currant crumble with black currant sorbet was quite special too. I was sadly never given the opportunity to sample it. It disappeared before I could even incline to ask for a taste.

One of my favourite areas of the Royal Duchy Hotel is the pool and sauna. It’s one of the largest hotel pools I have been to in Cornwall and affords you all the luxury you can think off.

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Just off from the reception area, the pool is the perfect place to entertain grumpy kids once they have had their fill of going round town to discover the quirky shops and pubs Falmouth has to offer or after a long morning spent at the National Maritime Museum Cornwall wandering through its emotionally-charged exhibition on the infamous Titanic disaster.

The amazing swimming pool and sauna at the Royal Duchy Hotel in Falmouth

The pool, which we had to ourselves most days, was the perfect tonic before another exceptional dinner or to whet one's appetite before breakfast. With warm water to swim in, discreet lighting for a subtle mood, the pool is well provisioned with towels and magazines to peek at while lounging on hot pebble chaises longues.

Meanwhile the sauna is the proper job you’d expect in Scandinavian countries and will certainly help you clear those pores and excesses of abundant delicious food and more abundant still drinks from the bar or wine list as thick as a telephone book.

We were content with the odd glass but the hotel has a remarkable range of wines from all over the world.

The Titanic exhibition at the NMMC in Falmouth will have you well up with tears

When in Falmouth over the next 12 months make sure to visit the excellent National Maritime Museum and its own take on the world’s most (in)famous transatlantic crossing tragedy. The sinking of the Titanic.

If all you are interested in is the Hollywood blockbuster with Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, then this exhibition is not for you.

This a myth-debunking fact finding exhibition about one of the most enduring and well known historical events of the 20th century, one which has fascinated people the world over and has continued to do so for over a century.

Titanic Stories examines the human histories of those on board and those who weren’t there but have reported or cashed in on it.

The Titanic’s momentous sinking on 15 April 1912 is also the story of the first mass media worldwide event, trial by media, kiss and tell and fake news all bundled into one huge extraordinary event. Considering it occurred two years before the beginning of the First World War, this was truly the first world event.

The exhibition seeks to re-appraise many of the myths, controversies and assumptions that still linger to date. This amazing exhibition yet subdued on appearance, will leave you to explore your own sense of loss or adventure, and will have you wonder about those destinies broken and the lives lost. What would you have done?

Working in collaboration with private collectors from overseas and national museums in the UK, the exhibition presents rare and never-seen-before objects, as well as retelling the personal stories of many of the survivors, victims and descendants of the Titanic disaster, including some 61 passengers from Cornwall, many of whom were emigrating to America in search of a better life for themselves and their families but never reached their goal.

This exhibition, which is ‘entertaining’ enough to have a pair of eight-year-olds in thrall for close to two hours, is raw yet subtle. Never judgmental yet factual. It is about human tragedy in an age where human condition and your chance of survival was proportional to your wealth and society status. The raw stats and body count on the wall brought me close to tears.

Forget the James Cameron film and its silly nonsense. This is the reality of the Titanic. Two thirds of the rich passengers on board including most of the first class women survived the tragedy when less than a third of those in third class survive.

How interesting that already, newspapers from around the world competed to scoop one another with the most sensational headlines, ranging from the outright lies of the Daily Mail proclaiming that all passengers had survived the sinking to the extravagant finger pointing and soul searching.

The exhibition also looks at the remarkably rapid commercialisation of the disaster which quickly turned a tragedy into one of the most globally talked about and commercialised events in history. From the first postcards and souvenir editions of various newspapers and magazines to soap and condoms, vodka and lurid souvenirs, Titanic memorabilia tells its own sideshow story.

The exhibition is also about a discovery of course. That of a famous lost ship which laid on the bottom of the ocean floor, undisturbed and slowly rusting away, for 75 years.

As part of its Titanic Stories exhibition, The National Maritime Museum Cornwall launched a concurrent exhibition exploring the subject of migration past and present, telling the historic stories of those leaving Cornwall on the Titanic in 1912 juxtaposed against present day stories and experiences of people who have moved to Cornwall from overseas.

Titanic Stories: Contemporary Voices shows how the Titanic carried the hopes and dreams of hundreds of migrants seeking a better life and linking it to the contemporary stories of five people who have moved to Cornwall from overseas in recent years, making a connection between the historic stories and how they are relevant to people today.

Both exhibitions are extremely human and humbling. They are sombre yet humorous and compelling. So much so that it kept two eight-year-olds in thrall for close to two hours. A must see.

Titanic Stories runs from March 2018 until January 7, 2019.

Although the pool area is not lifeguarded hotel staff will regularly pop in to make sure everything is fine and you are not in need of second gin and tonic.

The Royal Duchy Hotel is a stone's throw away from the beach. Just cross the road and you are literally there, yet it is also close enough to the town centre and its array of quirky and unique shops, cafes and bars that you can walk and discover Falmouth more intimately in the process.

This is a very nice friendly and luxurious four star hotel and spa that ought to be your base to explore Falmouth and its surroundings. But most importantly, this is a friendly and welcoming hotel where you are made to feel special. And in this day and age, we all need to feel special.